Developmental-polymorphism
Guides
Melanoplus femurrubrum
Red-legged Grasshopper, Garden grasshopper
Melanoplus femurrubrum, the red-legged grasshopper, is a medium-sized, widely distributed grasshopper native to North America. It ranges across most of Canada, the United States, and into central Mexico, making it one of the most common and broadly distributed grasshopper species on the continent. The species exhibits developmental polymorphism, allowing populations to adapt to variable environmental conditions and seasonal timing. It is frequently used as a model organism in scientific research due to its abundance and behavioral sensitivity to climate variation.
Micromalthidae
Telephone-pole Beetles
Micromalthidae is an ancient, relictual family of beetles in the suborder Archostemata, represented today by a single extant species, Micromalthus debilis. The family has a fossil record extending to the Late Permian (approximately 260 million years ago), making it one of the oldest surviving beetle lineages. Members are characterized by highly unusual reproductive biology, including paedogenesis (reproduction by larvae) and parthenogenesis. The family shows extreme morphological reduction in adults, particularly males, with larvae serving as the primary feeding and persistent life stage.